Feel The Rain
by BobWhite
Summary: A girl is kidnapped by her father. Will she ever see her family again?
1. Tabitha Smith

**Full Summary:**

Tabitha Smith has been on the run with her father ever since he kidnapped her from her home in Florida, when she was four. Her mother, a missionary that travels all over the world, was at the embassy when she got the call from her sister. Now, nine years later, she has hurt Simon Camden in a fight for her life. But what happens when her father is arrested and she is sent to live with the Camden's because all the group homes are full? Will this young girl be able to find her way in the world now that she is free from her father? And will she be able to find the mother she hasn't seen since she was four years old? And what will the Camden's think when her mother reunites with her with the help of the FBI? Will she finally be able to put old feelings behind her to begin a new life? Will she have a better future now that she is living with the Camden's? And will her mother be found?

**Tabitha Smith:**

Hi, my name is Tabitha Smith and I am thirteen-years-old. When I was four-years-old, my father took me from my aunt's house. I know that I wasn't the only child, but maybe because I was the oldest he took me instead. When my father was doing well with my mother, they had three children. I was four, my sister Arena was two and my sister Ariela had just been born almost six months before I disappeared.

My father, Marc Smith, was a construction worker and he knew that if he took off with me that people might think he was moving out of state for part of his job. When my mother found out that _Marc_ had me, she went ballistic; at least that was what was on the news when I heard she was trying to find me. But when _Marc_ took me, he never thought he would ever encounter the Camden's and any of their friends. If he had, he never would have taken me, but he didn't, so here we were right now.

Now we were here, so all we had to do was stay alive. _Marc_ was not going to let me go without a fight. And that is how Simon got involved with all of this. At the age of thirteen, I was about to learn a powerful lesson in warfare, whether it be my own war, or that of someone else. But it didn't matter, because Simon got caught in the middle and _Marc_ didn't care who he hurt in order to stay out of jail and in possession of me.


	2. The Fight

**The Fight:**

**Freeing Myself From **_**Marc**_**:**

Simon had always been nice to me and I had liked that he cared so much about my feelings. But him being nice to me didn't matter that day. _Marc_ was on a warpath to destroy anyone who got in his way to keeping me out of the custody of the FBI and anyone who wanted to take me away from him. My mother had something to do with the fact that _Marc_ was acting this way. Simon had come over after school to help me with my math homework and I was glad that _Marc_ wasn't home at the time and Simon and I started in on the math.

I heard _Marc_ drive into the garage and realized what time it was. I tried to get Simon out of the house before _he_ came into the house, but it was too late. _Marc_ walked into the living room and saw Simon and started after him. He thought Simon was going to take me away from him. He was wrong. I saw _Marc_ take out the knife and I moved in front of Simon, yelling for him to run. It didn't happen that way; it didn't happen that way at all. I was pushed up against Simon, and we both hit the floor, though the knife had glanced off my temple and I now had blood dripping from my right temple.

_Marc_ came at us again and Simon tried to defend me, but it didn't work. _Marc_ kept coming, slashing at everything he could find until finally the blade made contact with Simon's arm. He pulled back and slashed out again. I stepped in front of Simon and the knife hit my chest, sinking into my flesh. When _Marc_ had realized what he had done, he took off, throwing the knife into the bushes as he ran. Simon and I lay on the living room floor, barely conscious. We didn't know if anyone would come looking for us or if we would be found in time, though I was a lot more injured then Simon.

Would the neighbors wonder where I was? Would the neighbors wonder why Simon had never left? Would we be found in time? Would the cops think I had done this?

**The Camden's Get Worried:**

Annie Camden couldn't remember where Simon had told her he was going after school. She was so frantic in finding Simon that she didn't realize that Officer Michaels had walked in. They were all in the living room with Kernel and Ruth Camden, who had been up for the weekend and would be staying for two weeks. Eric Camden had answered the door and let Officer Michaels in. Now, with four of the seven kids in the living room with their parents and grandparents, the news was about to hit home, too, too close to home.

"What is it, Officer Michaels?" _Annie asked._

"There's been an accident. Simon's fine, though his arm will be quiet sore for a while. It's Tabitha the doctors are worried about. Have any of you seen Marc lately?"

"No, none of us have seen Marc lately! We've been worried about Simon. What happened that doctors would be involved with him?" _Mary asked._

"He was stabbed in the arm. We have reason to believe that Marc started stabbing out when he thought Simon was going to take Tabitha away from him."

"And why would anyone take Tabitha away from Marc?" _Lucy said._

"We have no idea why. We were planning on asking Tabitha when the doctors told us she could have visitors. But that changed when we learned of her condition."

"What's her condition?" _Reverend Camden asked._

"The knife blade punctured her lung and nicked and artery in her chest. The doctors aren't sure she's going to make it through the night."

"Any thing else we should know?" _Kernel Camden asked._

"Simon said she tried to get him out of the house before Marc was able to see him. He thinks she knew what was going to come, like Marc was going to start hitting her, like Marc may have hit her before. But we won't know until she wakes up and we don't even know if she's going to do that."

"She'll wake up, she's a fighter, she always has been." _Ruthie said._

"Well, that's very brave of you to say Ruthie." _Ruth Camden said._

"Well, hey, if she doesn't make it, Simon won't have to be friends with her anymore and we can go back to forgetting they were friends in the first place."

"RUTHIE CAMDEN! That is no way to talk about Tabitha or your brother. You should be ashamed of yourself for even saying that!" _Annie exclaimed._

"What, she got Simon hurt. Why wouldn't I say it?"

"Never mind, let's go to the hospital and see how he is. Come on, let's go get the twins and go. I want to hold my son in my arms now that I know he's okay and that he wasn't hurt badly." _Annie said._

"Amen to that." _Mary, Lucy, Kernel & Ruth Camden said._

They got the twins, grabbed the keys to the cars and headed out the door and to the hospital. Officer Michaels had already left for the hospital while they were getting the twins and stuff for Simon to do while he stayed in the hospital.

**The Hospital:**

Kernel & Ruth Camden, Mr. & Mrs. Camden plus Matt, Mary, Lucy, Ruthie and the twins arrived at the hospital a little after eight o'clock in the evening. Officer Michaels was waiting for them, though he was filling out a report and talking to Doctor Hastings. Julie was already there; having gotten a call from Hank the minute Simon was brought in. He hadn't been able to get ahold of the Camden's for some reason. At least Simon wasn't alone when he was taken to his room, his arm stitched and bandaged up and put in a sling. Tabitha wasn't that lucky, she didn't have anyone to stay with her and pray that she lived, or so everyone thought.

Eric Camden and his family walked into the ER looking for Simon. They didn't want to see Tabitha just yet; they wanted to see their son, to make sure he was alright. Doctor Hastings and Julie came out of Simon's room and walked to the Camden family.

"Hank, Julie, how is Simon?" _Annie asked._

"He's doing fine, though a little bit angry that we won't let him see Tabitha."

"I bet he is. Did he say anything about what happened?" _Ruth asked._

"He siad that they were doing their math homework and that when Tabitha heard the garage door open she tried to get him out of the house before Marc saw him. It was like she was trying to protect him from Marc. He said that when Marc started slashing the blade through the air that it was evident that Marc may be aiming at Tabitha, so he stepped in front of her and that is when the knife made contact with his arm. Tabitha suffered the worst of the attack. We were just about to go see her. Anyone care to join us?" _Hank finished._

"I think that girl needs a steady person in that room with her, so while the rest of the family goes in to see Simon, I'll accompany the two of you to Tabitha's room and ee how she's doing." _The Kernel said._

"Thanks dad, come one, let's go see how Tabitha is doing. Eric, Annie, go see your son." _Julie said._

"Thanks Julie. Come one kids, let's go see Simon." _Annie and Eric said together. They walked into Simon's room and looked at him. He was awake and wondering what everyone was staring at. The look in his eyes told them that he was furious that he couldn't see Tabitha._

**Simon's Room:**

"How are you doing Simon?" _Lucy asked._

"I am fine. I told Aunt Julie and Hank that I was fine but they still won't let me see Tabitha. She saved my life."

"That's what Sgt. Michaels said but they just want to make sure that you are 100% okay before they let you see her. Do you understand?" _Annie asked._

"I understand. But you could at least tell me how she is. They won't even tell me how she is or if she's even alive."

"She's alive, but she isn't doing so well. The knife punctured her lung and nicked an artery in her heart. It's touch and go right now and the doctors are waiting to see if she'll wake up." _Eric said._

"I wan to see her. If she hears my voice and knows that I'm alright, then maybe she'll wake up. We always had this kind of connection, like we were meant to meet. I don't know how to explain it, but she needs me, right now, right here. Do you understand what I'm trying to say?"

"Simon, we understand, but we can't let you see her right now. Let the doctors take care of her and get her better before she has anymore company. The Kernel, Hank and Julie are in with her right now. Let the Kernel, Hank, and Julie see her for now and in a day or two, you can see her. Okay?" _Annie said._

"Fine, but I still don't understand why they had to lie to me. They should have just told me what was going on in the first place."

"Who lied to you?" _Mary asked._

"Hank and Julie told me that she had been taken to a different hospital, even though this hospital is the closest hospital in what a fifty mile radius."

"Pretty much. Why don't you get some rest? We'll be back in later to see you. Get some rest Simon, and try not to let your mind wander. Tabitha is in the best hands possible." _Eric said, shooing his children, wife and mother out of the room._

**Tabitha's Room:**

Hank, Julie and Kernel Camden walked into Tabitha's room and looked at her. Kernel Camden couldn't believe this was the girl that had saved his grandson's life and the girl that Simon could stop talking about. Hank checked Tabitha's chart and then her vitals and then turned to his wife and father-in-law. The low beep of the ventilator told them I was still breathing and still alive. Could I really be this close to death and yet so close to life?

"How is she doing Hank?" _Kernel Camden asked._

"Better than expected. If I didn't know any better, I'd say this isn't her first hospital stay, nor is it the first time she's been in a coma."

"How do you know that?" _Julie asked._

"The evidence she's showing us right now. *****A normal person, who's never been in a coma before, wouldn't fight to live. Most people in comas have never been in a coma before and therefore wouldn't know how to fight their coma. But Tabitha is fighting her coma and therefore it must mean that she's been in a coma before now. We'll know more in about 24-hours. It's touch and go from here on out."

"Thanks Hank. Well we should probably go see how Eric, Annie, Ruth and the kids are doing. I'm pretty sure they've left Simon's room by now." _The Kernel finished._

"That's a good idea dad." _Julie said._

**[*Don't know if this is even true, probably not, but for this story it is true.]**


	3. The Hospital

**The Hospital:**

**By Tabitha's Side:  
**Simon was released from the hospital that very night, but he didn't go home. Instead of going home like his parents and grandparents wanted him to, he stayed with Tabitha, sitting by her bed, waiting for her to wake up. She had tried to save his life, why shouldn't he pay that back by staying with her? He would eventually have to go back to school, but for now, he just wanted his friend to wake up.

When the Camden's saw how dedicated their son was to his friend, they knew that they weren't going to be able to persuade Simon to leave any time soon. They also knew, that they needed to be looking for anyone that could take Tabitha in after she woke up and left the hospital. Though, while they were searching, Det. Michaels informed them that they were not going to find a foster family to take her in due to the circumstances that had surrounded her having to be put into the system. They knew right then that Tabitha would be staying with them until she got better or a family member claimed her.

That was the problem though, because as they watched Tabitha fight for her life, they realized that Marc was the only family that they knew of. A picture of both Marc and Tabitha had been put into the newspaper along with the story of what had happened. Now all they had to do, was wait for Tabitha to wake up and for someone who knew any other family to come to Glenoak and claim her as family.

The Kernel had sat with Simon most of the time. He knew that Tabitha needed a strong shoulder to lean on when she woke up and he also knew that she would need a strong home to stay in once she was out of the hospital. Simon had pretty much shown everyone in the Camden household that he wasn't going to be leaving Tabitha's side until she woke up, which according to the doctors should be any day now. He wasn't leaving and everyone in his house knew that. But that didn't mean he had to sit by his friends side alone. He would have at least one person sitting with him if not more. His siblings saw how dedicated he was to his friend and knew that he was going to do anything to help her.

Everyone in the Camden household had seen Simon grow older in the past week since the fight had occurred. They had seen how Simon acted around Tabitha and had seen that since they had become friends, he had changed his perspectives on life just a little bit. But the Reverend and Annie didn't know how to tell him that there was no home for Tabitha when she got out of the hospital and that she might have to stay with them for awhile. Though Simon would most likely be happy, they didn't know how the rest of the kids would react to hearing this news. But they were about to find out just how everyone was going to take it because today was the day that Tabitha knew she had to wake up.

**Waking Up:**  
Simon was asleep by her bed when she opened her eyes just a sliver. She saw him sleeping and saw the bandage on his arm, then saw the sling that held his arm. There was an older man in the room to, but he was awake and he seemed to be trying to coax her to open her eyes all the way. It was like this man was related to Simon somehow and he wanted her to open her eyes not for herself but also for Simon, who looked like he hadn't gone home in a long time.

Slowly, Tabitha opened her eyes and looked at the older man; her throat was sore and she tried to say something. The look on the man's face told her that he knew what she wanted. He got her a cup of water with a straw and let her sip the water until she was able to speak.

"Thank you. Who are you?"  
"My name is Mr. Camden. I'm Simon's grandfather but everyone calls me the Kernel, so you can call me that as well."  
"Kernel, that sounds like a military name. Were you in the military?"  
"I was, but I'm retired now. How are you feeling Tabitha? Simon hasn't left your side since the day of the fight."  
"I'm fine, how is Simon? I saw the bandage and the sling. He wasn't hurt that bad was he?"  
"No, his arm will be fine."  
"And Marc, has anyone found him yet?"  
"No, your father is still in the wind. How come you don't call him father or dad or anything like that?"  
"Marc may be my biological father, but he will never be my dad. He's done too much to me and my family to ever be considered father or dad to me."  
"We'll get back to that later. I think Simon will want to know that you are awake. I'll wake him up for you."  
"Thank you Kernel Camden. You are a very nice person to have around. Simon is very lucky to have you as a grandfather."  
"You are welcome Miss Tabitha. And thank you for saving my grandsons life."  
"You're welcome Kernel Camden. I didn't want Marc hurting Simon. But I thought that everyone would blame me for hurting Simon instead of blaming Marc."  
"Why would we blame you when Simon himself told us that you saved his life and tried to get him out of the house before Marc came in?"  
"Force of habit I think. I was always blamed for past encounters with the law when Marc was the one doing all the hurting."  
"Well that's not going to happen this time. You are as much a victim as Simon is. Simon, hey Simon, come on wake up, someone wants to say hi." _Kernel Camden shook Simon awake and when he woke up to see my eyes open, relief spread over his face and it looked like he was about to dance with happiness._  
"You're awake, thank god. I haven't left your side in over a week."  
"I know, you grandpa told me that you even refused to go to school in order to be here when I woke up. Thank you for staying with me. You have a very sweet heart and nice grandpa."  
"You're welcome. But now the real problem is finding a place for you to stay."  
"Haven't your parents told you? I'll be staying with you at your house until the cops can find my mom."  
"How'd you know that? We hadn't even discussed that with any of the kids?" _Reverend Camden and Annie asked as they walked in with the rest of the kids, Dr. Hastings and Julie. _  
"I may have been in a coma, but there is such a place as Limbo, where your spirit can leave your body and travel to places far beyond the mind and body's reach. I was there, and I wasn't alone. I had Mrs. Camden with me. Your mom is a very nice lady Mrs. Camden."  
"Thank you, I think. She always had a knack at showing up in places she was needed. And I believe that you needed her more than anything at the moment."  
"Thank you Mrs. Camden. And I am sorry for keeping Simon so late at my house. Had I realized what time it was, he would never have been there when Marc got home."  
"You don't need to apologize. Besides, had Simon not been there, who knows if you would have ever been found? God plays in mysterious ways in our lives and him having Simon at your house last week was his way for showing us what was really going on. And you're right, you will be staying with us, but Mary and I will have to move our beds around so you can have a bed in the attic with us as well. I don't think mom will object to that." _Lucy said._  
"You mean you don't mind me staying at your house after what's happened?"  
"Of course not, after what you did for Simon and after what Simon has done for you all week, I don't think we could say no to having you in the house. By the way, what do you want from your house so we can go get it? Det. Michaels has had it crossed off with crime scene tape since the fight but I'm sure he'll let us in to get some of your stuff."  
"I'd like all my CD's, MP3 player, my laptop, my books and all of my journals. They're all in a box under my bed. I started writing after I turned five. It let me escape reality and go into my own little world."  
"Alright, Matt and I will go over there now. Det. Michaels said he'd meet us over there if we needed to get anything for you. No clothes?"  
"All my clothes are old and ratty. I'll have to buy some new ones."  
"Okay. Whatever you need, I'm sure we can get it."  
"Thanks and thank you for being so nice."  
"No problem, that's what friends are for."  
"I like the sound of that."


End file.
